Without a Goodbye
by Shimizu Hikaru
Summary: It was always darkest before the dawn, and in a broken place, a broken vampire met a not-so broken boy. Vampre!AU.


**Without a Goodbye**

**Warning**: yes, my attempt at writing vampire stuffs, AU, OOC-ness and my shitty English (…I need to find another way to say that x3). Vampire-human cliché stuffs too, something that some of you might dislike (…namely me *raises hand*…but I couldn't resist!)

**Disclaim**: Is Kaito a vampire? No, right? So yes, I don't own anything, hell, even half of the plotline in this is borrowed from Vassalord…Yes, I'm that pathetic.

**A/N**:…In the end, I just had to finish this before going on a trip with my class. Now, I'll go back to sulk because the 'wtf' end of Glee. *sulks*.

…Hope you'll enjoy this ^^~!

…

_It was always darkest before the dawn, and in a broken place, a broken vampire met a not-so broken boy._

…

…His little arms were working hard to push the lid covered the Church's basement open.

He should stay there, he knew, because the kind nun had told him to stay put while she had gone out to look for help. But she had gone for far too long and he had started to get starved and the smell of the dead bodies back inside didn't help much either.

Finally, the heavy lid was shifted aside just enough to create a passage for him to wriggle his lithe body outside.

The sky was dark and as the boy looked around with his bright blue eyes, he only saw dead and destruction but somehow, he didn't feel lonely, scared or anything…just a feeling of emptiness. And he asked himself, what had happened?

…Right, war had broken out and he had to leave his once peaceful hometown with his parents. In the midst of chaos, he had got separated. Then a kind nun had found him and took him in, hiding with her and a few injured people that weren't fast enough to run away from the people with crazy grins and bloody blades.

They had waited and waited in the basement, listening to the screaming, the bombing sounds above and prayed. Then the injures had died, not of their injures but because of the starvation.

Only he and the nun had been alive.

Gradually, the screaming stopped, along with the bombing and the kind nun hand gone and never come back. In the end, he was all alone then.

The ground beneath his feet was hard and rocky as he walked, more than once did he nearly fall face first to the ground, but he kept walking, aimlessly, and he saw the young man.

…With his mouth closed around a corpse's neck, blood ran down his chin and neck, disappearing beneath the priest robe's neckline.

…The scene should scare him but he wasn't scared, not at all, instead, he stood still and watched as haze violet eyes looked back at him in amusement.

The young man wasn't a priest despite the priest robe he was wearing, the small boy just knew, because priests weren't supposed to suck on dead bodies' necks, were they? And he stared as the young man dropped the corpse with a sickening thump in the quiet night, his unusual pointed tongue darted out to lick his lips, an attempt to clean himself up but the small boy didn't think so, because the young man didn't bother with the trail of blood on his chin and neck, was he?

And he walked over to him.

The boy stood his ground. Something in him trusted the young man, something in him was drawn to the young man.

"My, I've been only having dead bodies' blood these days," he crouched down to eye-level before the small boy, "Children, alive ones' blood should be tasty, don't you agree?"

The small boy opened his mouth to answer but then, he realized his throat was too dry to actually say anything and he ended up closing his mouth again, only staring up at the young man unblinkingly.

The other laughed mirthfully and it was such a refreshing sound that the boy decided that he would never forget.

"Here," the young man grinned then handed him a bottle of water, which he stared at warily before taking it.

He drank large gulps from the bottle, all the time; his eyes didn't leave the young man's grinning face.

When he was done, satisfying his dry throat, he handed the bottle back the other waved his hand in dismiss then stood up.

"To that direction, kid," he said, pointing away, "Just keep walking and you'll see a village."

And he turned to walk off, leaving the small boy behind to stare at his retreating back before he- the young man, dissolved into tiny, tiny black bats that flew up and melted into the darkness of the night sky.

The small boy only blinked then a small smile tugged at his lips.

In amidst of a destroyed Church and under the black night sky, a small boy stood and promised himself, his hands gripped the water bottle tightly, that he would meet this strange but kind young man again.

…

Everything was once again covered in darkness. Another day had passed yet the collapsed Church in the destroyed village still stood tall somehow, despite many of its missing parts.

…It was hard to breathe yet the small boy gasped, still fighting for air. His captor only laughed, and the sound was so cruel, so unlike the young man's…He winced in pain.

"So, little boy, does it hurt?" the captor sneered, gripping the small boy's throat tighter, "It does, right? So let me free you of this pain…" said the man and he leaned in closer, the small boy tried his best to keep his scowl up even when his heart was beating wildly and his lungs worked desperately for air.

But before that smelly mouth could come any closer, someone wrestled him out off the horrible man and pushed that said man away, sending him flying but he didn't fall, instead, small bats that came from no where steadied him then disappeared without a trace.

"Back off, Snake, this is my feeding ground!" the small boy looked up at his savior only to blink a few times when he saw that it was the young man from the night before. He was snarling and his fangs were showing off in an intimidating manner.

And…the small boy hated that look, he liked the grinning- near smiling, face better,

"What the hell?" the older man, Snake, growled back, "He's alive! You poor excuse of a vampire never drinks from alive human! So why does it matter?"

"Alive or dead," the young man growled out calmly, perhaps too calmly, "He's in my territory so he's mine. Just back off and I'll spare your filthy existence." He emphasized on the word 'mine' and it was enough. Snake only hissed angrily- something like "feeding ground, my ass! There are only dry bodies!", before disappearing into the night in the similar manner the young man had done the night before.

The small boy still looked up at his savior and after mumbling something like 'Bastard' under his breath, the violet eyed man glanced down at the child in his arms.

"Why the hell are you still here?" he asked, "Didn't I tell you to go away?"

"I don't know," the small boy answered honestly, his voice was scratchy and too quiet but he could made out the words well enough and the young man groaned.

"Now, look, kid-" he started but the boy cut him off, "It's Shinichi."

He blinked, "What?"

"My name, it's Shinichi," the boy repeated calmly and the patient tone he was using made the older wondered if he- an over-hundreds-year-old, or he- a kid that looked no older than seven, was the child in this conservation.

"Right, Shinichi," but he found himself saying without thinking anyways, "There's nothing here, only dead and why you're still here?"

"I told you," the small boy- Shinichi, said, his eyebrows furrowed together, "I don't know but…"

And he paused before continuing hesitantly, "…Can I stay with you?"

The next thing he knew that he was nodding slowly and he didn't even know why…He just couldn't say no to the small and starved little boy in his arms.

And the beaming smile that he got back was enough, his violet eyed softened.

But then, a loud grumbling sound emitted from the small boy's empty stomach broke the could-be-emotional scene right then and the two stared at each other.

…before the small boy grinned in embarrassment while the vampire laughed good-naturally.

"Now, let's see if there's anything in this place for that monster of yours, huh?"

He swung Shinichi around like a parent would do his child as he started to walk.

And laughter echoed in the quiet night.

…

Soon after finding some breads from the abandoned houses, the two started to clean up the basement of the Church.

Shinichi watched as the older threw the rotten bodies outside without blinking before proudly placing his bed into their new home. It was a coffin, a black big coffin, but because they slept in it so he called it a 'bed'. Besides, it was comfortable to sleep in it so it didn't really matter.

It was nice, really, because it had been so long since he last felt that warm and home and the vampire really smelt like home, even though he never smelt like his mother's vanilla scent or his father's musky scent. He smelt of blood, of the earth and of the wood but he still smelt like home.

But then, he always woke up alone.

The first time when it had happened, Shinichi had just sat there, in the coffin, and thinking to himself about various and random things to push the thought that the vampire had just abandoned him.

Then he'd stopped and thought about it again, well, it didn't really matter, people abandoned him all the time- his parents, the kind nun and now, the kind young man.

And it- _the_ _thought that maybe he was destined to be alone_- hadn't stopped him from glomping the vampire when he came back (Shinichi later noticed, sometimes with heavy smell of blood but always with some food for him).

It had surprised the other but he said nothing, only hugging back, his eyes softened.

…Because he understood the feeling of being alone too.

The next times, Shinichi just waited patiently, because he knew the vampire would come back.

And they would start their nights together.

They usually just spent it cuddling under the night sky, Shinichi bundled up in a warm blanket that they'd found from some abandoned house in the destroyed village.

The vampire then would tell him stories, stories of beautiful lands with beautiful people or sometimes, they were about how the vampire had got too hungry that he had dug some graves up and drunk from the corpses inside. That made Shinichi crinkled in disgust while the other only laughed unabashfully then told Shinichi that he was only joking- _"Those bodies are all dry of blood, Shin-chan~!"_

And sometimes, they were stories that were never finished. Because halfway, the vampire always stopped and looked faraway.

Like right then, Shinichi glanced up from his position bundled up in a thick blanket on the other's chest, the vampire had his eyes looked up at the dark sky, looking at something that wasn't there.

Then he began.

"…Once upon a time," he said slowly, "…There was a beautiful kingdom which was under a young and kind King's watch. The King's Knight was a young man who adored the King with his heart. And he swore to be loyal, to stay by the King's side forever…"

Shinichi's interest instantly perked up.

Because, whoever the main characters were- _maybe a farmer, a traveler, a soldier or even an earl_, and whatever the settings were- _maybe a poor village, elegant England, a bloody war or even a grand ballroom_, the said main characters were always his older companion, the stories were always just parts of his life. Shinichi knew, so he listened to them intensely because then he'd learn something new about his companion. Because Shinichi liked him, like the not-priest that had sucked blood from a corpse in their first meeting.

"…The King valued the Knight very much too. He treated him just like a closed family member…He was like a dear bother to the Knight. Between them was an unbreakable and strong bond…"

The vampire's arms tightened around the small boy, his eyes closed halfway down, still looking faraway- _into his memory_.

"…One day, the Knight was gravely wounded in a fight…he killed his enemy but he himself was also on the verge of death. And he wished desperately to see the King again…Even just once…"

By this time, his voice had turned into a whisper, "…The witch approached him and offered him a deal…a deal that if he agreed to would help him to see the King again…And the Knight made his decision…"

And the vampire cut himself off, his eyes closed completely as he snuggled to the warm bundle in his arms. Shinichi didn't ask him to continue, the small boy never did dare too.

Because he knew it was just too painful for his companion. So, he chose to press himself tighter to the other, hoping that his presence there could help to ease some of the vampire's pain.

And maybe it did. More than he would ever know.

…

He liked the kid, really, maybe more than he should but who cared? He certainly didn't.

The vampire released a sigh and he stirred in his comfortable 'bed'. Shinichi only groaned in protest but he stayed asleep, only burying his face deeper into the vampire's neck.

The corner of the vampire's lips quirked up and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on that mop of black hair before wriggling the arm that the boy was pillowing on out.

He stepped out of the coffin and glanced back at the kid one last time before walking to the stair that led out of the basement of the Church.

It was night time, he knew, his instinct knew so he wasn't surprised when cold air whipped at any skin that he was exposing. It was near winter again, he noted then thought of the fragile boy and then of the worn out blanket then once again, of the boy, and his shivers.

…he should find a new blanket then.

But first, something to fill his thirst would be his priority. And he wondered if that night, he should feed from a nun or a priest or a soldier then he chuckled to himself, what did it matter? They were all corpses, dead bodies and they were probably dry already….Who was he kidding? They were. And he should have moved on from there, to somewhere that was fresh out from a bloody rampage of those human and feed himself.

Then he thought of the small boy- _he was alive and he needed him_, and shook his head, suddenly he didn't feel like feeding that night anymore.

Sighing, the vampire turned to walk back to the Church, his little companion should be up by then, waiting for him and he wondered if Shinichi would be surprised to see him back so soon.

The thought made him smile.

Something glinted in the dark and the vampire blinked before approaching the corpse- a soldier, his torn uniform said so, and picking up the thing in his hand.

A binocular?

…Interesting, Shinichi would like it, he just knew. Grinning, the vampire continued to walk back, brushing the crumbles of the soldier's rotten fingers that still stuck to the thing.

That night, they spent it by Shinichi looking through the binocular excitedly while absently telling the vampire what he had been taught.

"They told you vampires are pale and cold?" the vampire said, sounding mockingly surprised. Shinichi nodded and the other snickered.

"Welll~, pale is right, I guess since we don't like sunlight a lot. Or to be exact, the sun doesn't like us, I personally would love to see how I would look with tanned skin," he shrugged carelessly, wounding the blanket tighter around Shinichi while the boy kept wriggling his arms out to hold the binocular up.

"But the cold part," the vampire grinned cheekily, "Is wrong!" and he pulled Shinichi into a playful bone-crushing hug.

The small boy only voiced a small sound of surprise but he nodded nonetheless.

And the night-creature had never felt alive more than right then.

"By the way," Shinichi said against his friend's shoulder, "What's your name? I can't really keep calling you 'you'."

"Yeah," the vampire agreed without thinking, closing his eyes as he felt the warmth the small body in his arms was offering, "You can't. My name's K-"

And the spell was broken as his haze violet eyes snapped open, he grew quiet.

Slowly, his eyes softened before they closed again. He snuggled to the warm bundle in his arm, "It doesn't matter. Just call me you. Or brother will do."

The night turned quiet, again.

…

"Brother," and Shinichi had taken to call him that and awww, so sweet, he had such a cute little brother, just like a ray of sunlight in the darkness that he lived in.

"What're those, brother?" the small boy was standing on top of a pile of broken useless bricks of what should have been a tall wall, holding his gift in hands and looking at the vampire in confusion.

"What're what?" the older stood up tall, squirting his eyes to see more clearly-Oh.

For a moment, he stayed silent, eyes continued to gaze at the glints of lights that were so far away and mentally pitied himself, how foolish he was to think that anything good would ever happen to him?

"Those are lights, Shinichi," he finally said and the small boy 'oh'-ed quietly. He was a smart boy, the vampire didn't need to always say thing for him to understand.

Shinichi held the binocular up to his eyes again and the vampire exhaled slowly.

Another night that ended with silence.

…It was only until they were back into the basement- when the sun was on the brim of the earth, its warm light radiated almost too warm for the vampire and the basement was cold, was safe and it was their home, that the vampire unwrapped the blanket around his small companion that he noticed how thin the boy was.

The vampire bit his lower lips as he scrubbed the dirt off that lithe body, Shinichi stood still patiently, his pointed fangs cut at his lips, making him bleed a little. Shinichi saw, but he said nothing, just raising his small (too small, so thin) thumb up to wipe the blood away.

And the vampire almost laughed. But he didn't, he merely nodded a thank you to the small boy.

They were going to run out all of the human food (stale breads and dirty water that even made him feel nausea but Shinichi ate them all, drank to the last drop because he understood those were the only thing that kept him alive, kept him there by the vampire's side), the vampire supposed that he could always bring the boy with him. It had been such a long time since he last stayed near alive human, the he shook his head to clear it of the unwanted memories of what had happened the last time he had lived among the human. Not really good memories, yes, in fact, they were really bad.

But Shinichi didn't belong there- in the darkness; he belonged to the sun and its warm light. He should be growing up like a normal boy who got to eat more fresh and warm food, who got to play with peers his age, who got to live under the bright sun.

It was always darkest before the dawn and the vampire didn't think he could hand Shinichi, who had become so precious to him, to that dawn anytime soon.

…

Shinichi continued to use the binocular to look at the distant dots of light of the village and he didn't hide the longing that sometimes reflected in his eyes.

If the vampire asked that 'Do you miss people?' (people, because a human could never live without human, it was just like an obvious thing, it just was) , he nodded but then he would shake his head, muttering quietly while holding the hem of the vampire's priest robe tightly.

"But I like being with you more."

And he was such a selfish creature that he then hugged Shinichi tightly and said.

"We will go to the village, you and me, we'll go there tonight, if you want."

And Shinichi would beam brightly and then said.

"Okay," happily, cheerfully, "Anywhere is fine, as long as I'm with you," and his non-existed heart ached.

Because he was a selfish vampire, yes, he was. So when Shinichi said, "I love you, brother," he didn't reply, just hugging the boy tighter, because he was selfish so he didn't dare say those words, afraid that they would hurt him in the end.

He was selfish. That was why he embraced the sun's boy desperately and tightly, not wanting to let go.

And selfless Shinichi just hugged him back, repeating 'I love you.' Not knowing what was the cause of the vampire's distress but he wanted to help nonetheless.

…

He was on the zone that was between the sleep and the awareness, engulfed in the familiar warmth that smelt of blood, of the earth and of the wood and still smelt like home.

"-wake up by now-" someone said and his muddled mind protested, the voice wasn't familiar. But it sounded kind so he just snuggled to the warmth and attempt to go back to sleep.

"-poor boy-"

"-he's on the Church's doorstep? How-"

"-all alone-"

"- wonder if he was scared-"

He just wanted the voice to shut up, it wasn't time to wake up yet, he just knew, because his brother was still there, he was still being embraced, wasn't he?

Yet, his eyes betrayed him by fluttering open. At first, warm light and sounds of chirping greeted him and he got all confused.

Then he looked around, there were several nuns around him, looking at him in concern. The room was strange and he wasn't in the coffin, he was on a bed.

And it hit him. _He_ wasn't there.

Shinichi shot up on the bed, nearly tumbling out of it and he looked down. The familiar priest robe was on him. Then he looked up again, frantically.

"The man's with me!" he said, eyes searched wildly for the familiar mop of unruly brown hair, "Brother! My brother! Where's he?"

The nuns looked at each other in confusion then one of them attempted to lie him back down.

"Little boy, I'm sorry but no one was with you. We found you this morning on the Church's doorst-"

She wasn't able to finish the sentence, Shinichi was out of the bed, nearly falling when he stepped on the too long robe, he pushed the door open-

And the sunlight hit him. It burned, it was too bright and his eyes closed tightly in protest, Shinichi hissed in frustration, his whole being protested, he was used to the cold of the darkness, it had been so long since he last felt the sunlight. And he couldn't say he like it.

He stumbled ahead, eyes still closed and he could vaguely hear the nuns calling for him worriedly but he paid them no mind.

"Brother!"

The scream was out of his mouth, sounding broken and scratchy and it was like a knife that cut through the afternoon's lights.

"Brother!"

He continued, screaming with all his might, fear and anger and mixed feeling curled around his stomach that it hurt, and he was hoping desperately that the vampire would pop out from no where and cheered, 'Surprise!'

Yet no one answered him, nothing at all.

…It was always darkest before the dawn and the vampire had came at the darkest time to save him and when the dawn came, he left.

Without a goodbye.

…

**A/N**: If you read Vassalord, you'll know the boy calls the vampire 'master' but Kaito is not that old and having Shinichi called him like that sounds weird and wrong to me so well, hence for the 'brother' title ^^.

So yeah, ideas for this are bubbling in my head but I refuse to continue for now. The plunnie gets its story and I'm going back to my old stories to finish 'em first.

So, any word? Seriously, reviews encourage us writer to write, it may sound old, but it's true.


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